


Unfinished Business

by kingiamesbible



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 7 minutes in heaven, Alternate Universe - College/University, Drinking, Gay Bashing, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, bucky with eyeliner, but only a tiny bit dont worry children, this is basically really really gay, tony stark is a raving party animal he needs to stop, we both didnt want to be at this party but here we are au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2014-12-08
Packaged: 2018-02-28 16:32:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2739341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingiamesbible/pseuds/kingiamesbible
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one time Tony manages to drag Steve to a party and he ends up almost losing him to a lumberjack and getting locked in a closet for seven minutes with a long-haired jock with a nice smile and huge arms</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unfinished Business

**Author's Note:**

> this is my half of a stucky fic trade with my super rad friend Lina! you can find them at officialleepace dot tumblr dot com <3
> 
> I listened to unfinished business by mumford and sons on repeat for about 3 hours while writing this and its also the title of this dumb thing so go listen to that now if you want its a p cool song

This was a mistake. He knew it as soon as he stepped into the darkened house blaring awful pop music and filled with loud sweaty teenagers, probably already drunk out of their minds. Whose house was this anyway? He had no idea. All he knew was that something really bad or humiliating would most likely happen to him and he would regret letting Tony persuade him to tag along in the first place. 

Steve never went to parties. It wasn't because he was a social reject or he had no friends or anything - quite the contrary, he had a large group of friends he loved dearly. He just didn't see the appeal. In his eyes, all high school parties were the same: there was drinking, music, dancing (if you could call it that) and some intense hookups that the participants probably wouldn't even remember the next morning. The same types of people always went; nobody who really interested Steve other than his own friends, who would all go to a party maybe once a month and always called him up at 4am, on the edge of consciousness and asking him to pick them up. Then, in the car, they'd ramble on about how it was the best party they'd ever been to, and how he missed a wild time. Next month, same thing.   
Tony was the worst. He was Steve's best friend and he was smart, funny and compassionate when need be, but as soon as he went to some jocks house whose parents had gone away for the weekend, he seemed unable to control himself. He would undoubtedly have a skull crushing hangover the morning after, and it was up to Steve to deal with it. He loved Tony, but his partying habits left something to be desired, and Steve wanted no part in that scene.   
Yet here he was. Looking around the masses of people, most of whom he didn't know and probably didn't even go to his college. A few familiar faces popped out of the crowd, and all looked surprised to see him. It was an unorthodox occurrence for Steve Rogers to show up at a house party. Whoever was hosting should be damn honoured, to be honest. 

He mostly let Tony drag him around, and hung around behind him while he chatted and flirted and drank with people Steve hadn't and didn't really want to meet. Once, he found himself alone in the middle of a crowd, Tony having run off somewhere and he panicked for a full minute before spotting his dark-haired friend grinning wolfishly at a hard-faced man wearing a plaid shirt and smoking a cigar, who looked like he was supervising rather than joining in the fun. Still, he seemed to be talking to Tony willingly enough. Steve hoped he wasn't like, 40 or something. That did not need to happen again. 

Breathing out to calm his nerves, Steve pushed his way through the crowd to try to get to his friend, somehow managing to elbow a tall brunette girl he recognised from the debate team in the neck and almost having her boyfriend bite his head off. Thankfully he managed to escape by slipping through the crowd, and given his considerably small size he could lose them pretty easily. Unfortunately this meant he lost sight of Tony, as when he looked over to where he had been only a few seconds before, he and the lumberjack looking man had gone. Panicked, he whirled around, scanning the darkness for either of them, but he couldn't see them anywhere. He tried to steady his breathing, telling himself that Tony knew what he was doing, he wouldn't get hurt. But he really didn't want his friend making the mistake of taking someone home, then waking up to an empty bed after a night of empty promises. He had had enough of seeing him with a broken heart. 

His breathing quickened as he grew progressively more frantic, his heart rate picking up as he shoved his way around trying to spy Tony. Each time he saw someone who vaguely resembled him, he would stop breathing for a second only to see that his wasn't him and his stomach would flip and sink and he'd begin to hyperventilate again. Eventually he even plucked up the courage to ask someone if they'd seen him, and once he had asked one person he found it easier to ask others, but no one had seen him. His mind began to swirl with frantic what ifs, jumping straight to the worst-case scenarios as his brain tended to do, and he suddenly felt weak at the knees. Wetness in his eyes began to blur his vision, but he was determined not to cry in the middle of so many people. He hadn't had a panic attack in over four months. Why had he ever listened to Tony and agreed to come to this stupid party? 

Just then, a small ginger girl stumbled into him and almost knocked him to the ground. As he went to help steady her, he noticed her fluttering her eyes and smiling sweetly at him. 

_No. Not now._

"Thanks, handsome," she crooned, dragging her teeth along her bottom lip in a way that made Steve simultaneously embarrassed for her and want to throw up. 

"No problem," he croaked, grimacing at her as she pressed herself into his chest. 

"Wanna dance?" she asked in a way she must have thought was sexy but really made Steve want to bolt. 

"Uuuh.."

"There you are!"

The voice made both Steve and the girl turn, and before Steve knew what was happening, someone had pulled his shoulders forward and locked his mouth into a swift kiss, pulling his body flush into them. Barely conscious of what was happening, Steve felt one hand on the small of his back and another in his hair, pressing kiss after whiskey-tasting kiss onto his lips, and he distantly heard the girl groan, "fucking faggots," with distaste before she stalked off and he was released from the impromptu makeout. 

"You're welcome," Tony muttered, wiping his mouth and taking a step back. Steve was so overjoyed to see him he momentarily forgot they had swapped spit just a second ago and swept him up in a bone crushing hug. 

"Where did you go?" Steve breathed once he had let go, sounding just like the concerned mother Natasha always accused him of being. 

"Logan wanted me to meet his wife," Tony shrugged matter-of-factly, like his disappearance hadn't almost caused Steve to break down. 

"His...wife? You mean- oh."

"I wasn't interested in him Steve, oh my god," Tony laughed, rolling his eyes. "He's like 30 and we just struck up a conversation. That's all."

"I just thought-" Steve started sheepishly. 

"I don't try to hook up with every attractive breathing male, contrary to popular belief. And anyway, I've sworn off hook ups until-"

He stopped and looked at Steve, not wanting to finish the sentence. 

"Until Bruce gives you an answer," Steve finished for him, quietly, and Tony grimaced. 

"Yeah," he said. 

At that point, Steve was the only one who knew about Tony's jumbo crush on Bruce Banner, the poster boy for science nerds and Tony's lab partner, and it had been weighing him down for ages. The two of them were close friends who got together every Saturday to talk science, and Tony was terrified of ruining that friendship. Especially since Bruce had recently broken up with his girlfriend Betty. Steve could see that it was crushing Tony so always encouraged him to talk it through with Bruce and told him that if Bruce couldn't either reciprocate his feelings or accept them and continue the platonic relationship they had built, he wasn't really a friend worth having, but Tony wouldn't hear it. He'd always say he was waiting for the right moment, but that moment never seemed to come. 

"Is he here tonight?" Steve asked carefully, noticing the way Tony had curled in on himself slightly, the way he always did when Bruce was brought up in conversation. 

"Yeah," Tony said again. 

"Do you want to go find him? Maybe you could talk some stuff through."

Tony shrugged. 

"Maybe later. But not now. C'mon, they're playing seven minutes in heaven downstairs."

Eager to see his friend smiling again, Steve let Tony pull him along to the staircase and down into the basement where a small circle was assembled. There was a small cupboard behind them, the door wide open to reveal a cramped space that had been elaborately decorated with fairy lights and fake candles and had faint romantic music playing from one corner. 

Upon their arrival, the circle shifted to make room for them and they sat on the cold floor. Steve had no idea how this game worked, and told Tony so in a hushed voice. While a tall freckled girl with a high ponytail span an empty green bottle around on the floor, Tony explained the rules: whichever two people the bottle lands on will have to spend seven minutes together in the small cupboard, and they can do whatever they want with that time. At first, that sounded pretty boring to Steve, but then all the possibilities of what could be done in seven minutes in a cramped space with only one other person came flooding to him, and he felt his face turn hot. By the time he had turned his attention back to the spinning bottle, it had stopped and was pointing at a boy with brown hair and red sunglasses who pumped his fist triumphantly when the bottle also landed on a tall girl with fiery red hair. The two stood and the girl with the ponytail locked them in before returning to her place in the circle. 

"Sean, start the clock," she said, grinning at a boy with curly strawberry blond hair who looked like he knew exactly what those two were going to do with the seven minutes. 

"You got it Kitty," he replied, tapping his phone and giving the thumbs up. 

The circle then descended into its own chatter, with people starting their own private conversations with each other while they waited for the seven minutes to run. Tony and Steve sat in silence except for Tony asking Steve sincerely if he was alright and Steve smiling as convincingly as he could and nodding. 

Finally, Sean's alarm went off and Kitty stood to knock loudly on the door. A few seconds later, the two came out with scandalous smiles on their faces and rejoined the circle to await Kitty's second spin. 

Out of everyone, Steve was the most surprised when it landed on him. Tony let out a single bark of laughter and slapped him on the back, but all Steve could do was stare at the green bottle neck. No one waited for him to recover from the initial shock, and suddenly Tony was urging him to his feet with an encouraging smile and two thumbs up and he was following a tall, muscular boy with hair cut just above his shoulders into the small cupboard. He barely saw the boy's face before Kitty was closing the door with a whisper of "have fun, boys," and then the lock clicked. 

The cupboard was actually quite well lit, and when he turned away from the door he could examine his companion's face without much squinting needed. He had a strong jaw, with a slight brush of stubble showing through, dark eyes that glinted when he turned his head a certain angle and the shaggy hair he had seen from the back. He had broad shoulders and defined arms, with what Steve suspected was the tiniest hint of kohl eyeliner under his eyes. He was _hot_. There was no other word for it, and Steve found himself staring at the boy's face for longer than was probably considered natural. He was fairly certain he had seen this boy on the football team, jostling about with the other jocks, and as soon as he thought that, red flags were waving and alarm bells were going off in his head. He had to spend seven minutes making sure he didn't show any signs of finding him attractive, because this was the sort of guy who would take any tiny signals the wrong way an potentially out him to his friends and eventually the whole school. Or so he thought. 

  
"You come to parties much?" the guy asked, arms folded. His voice suited the rest of him so well that Steve was taken aback. He didn't let himself be relieved. Instead he shook his head. "Yeah, me neither."

Steve must have looked surprised, because the boy laughed. 

"You don't seem the type," Steve mumbled. 

"The type to not party?" the boy asked. "Yeah I get that a lot. People assume that just because I'm on the football team I'm some hardcore-het party animal who wants to fuck every cheerleader on the squad."

"Sorry for making assumptions," Steve said, allowing himself a small laugh. 

"Ah, it's alright," he replied. "I'm not, in case you were wondering. I hate parties, and I'm pan. Also I can't stand any of the cheerleaders"

"I hate parties too," Steve sighed, shaking his head fondly. "I only came here because Tony convinced me it would be fun."

"That your boyfriend?"

_Dang, this guy is forward. Maybe he's interested. No, no he's not, he's just asking questions._

"Nah, we're just friends," Steve told him, starting to relax a little. "I don't think I could deal with dating him, what with all the partying he does."

His companion laughed, then extended a hand. 

"I'm James," he said as Steve shook his hand. 

"Steve," Steve said, noticing the way his eyes glinted softly when he smiled. He may have imagined it, but he swore James' eyes flicked down to his mouth, but he had averted his gaze before he could make sure. 

"Um," James went on, suddenly seeming shy and fiddling with a bracelet on his wrist, "do you go to Fieldmore by any chance?"

Steve beamed. 

"Yeah! Do you?"

"Yeah," James replied, his smile returning. "Are you coming to the Eagles vs Lions game next week?"

"My friend Nat wants to," Steve shrugged. "I'm not really a huge football buff but she thinks we should show our support for the Eagles."

"Cool," James breathed happily. "Maybe I'll see you there."

_Oh my god, is he flirting with me?_

"I'll make sure to look out for you," Steve offered, absentmindedly tugging at the bottom of his shirt. 

James smiled wider. He looked at the floor for a second before looking up again, opening his mouth like he was about to say something, but before he could, there was a knock on the door. 

"Seven minutes up already?"

Did he sound...disappointed? Definitely a little. Nevertheless, he twisted the door handle and the two of them entered the main room again and sat back down in the circle. For the rest of the game, James would occasionally look up from his lap at Steve and smile at him. 

  
By the time they left, it was early morning and the sun was poking up behind the trees. Steve was supporting Tony, practically holding him on his feet while they waited for Nat to come and pick him up. Eventually her black car pulled up and she rolled her window down, grinning at the pair. 

"Got a taxi here for a Mr Stark," she called, and Steve pulled the drunken Tony over to her and helped him into the passenger seat. 

"Thanks Nat," Steve sighed once he was safely strapped in. 

"No prob, Steve-o," she said. "You sure you don't want a ride?"

"Nah, I can walk," Steve replied. His house was just a few blocks down, and he really needed the fresh air after being cramped in a sweaty house for hours on end. 

"Alright," Nat shrugged. "See you tomorrow!"

He waved after her as the car pulled away with a crunch of gravel. For a few moments, he just stood there up to his ankles in the fresh snow that had fallen the night before, breathing in and out and watching his breaths turn to fog in the air. It was a crisp Sunday morning, the orange glow of sunlight making the frost-edged windows glimmer and sparkle. Steve loved winter, especially like this, and he felt himself smiling as he gazed at the bare trees which were still skeletal silhouettes this early in the morning.   
He was just about to turn and start walking home when he heard someone calling his name behind him. He swiveled around to find the source of the voice, and was slightly surprised to see James plodding through the snow as quickly as he could towards him. 

"Steve!" he panted when he reached him. "I'm glad I caught you before you left."

"Hey James," Steve greeted, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets and smiling up at him. 

"Um, is it okay if I," he scratched at his neck, "I mean it's cool if you say no since we just met but um, can I have your number?"

_Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god._

"Sure!" Steve enthused, an octave higher than he had meant to. "Should I write it down?"

"Uh, yeah sure, I think I have paper and pen in my bag."

After rummaging in his bag for a few moments, James produced a notebook and a pen and offered them to Steve, who scribbled down his number with shaking hands. Excitedly, he handed it back to James who hugged it to his chest almost protectively. 

"Thanks, um...it was really cool to meet you," James continued, shuffling his feet awkwardly. 

"Yeah, you too," Steve replied. "I'll see you at school maybe?"

"Yeah," James said enthusiastically. "You want to go for a coffee sometime maybe? Only if you want though, to hang out or something."

Steve's heart fluttered. 

_He's asking me out, oh thank you Tony Stark._

"I'd love to," he breathed out, unable to stop smiling. "I'll um, see you round James."

"Call me Bucky," he blurted, tucking the notebook safely away in his pocket. "All my friends do."

"Okay, Bucky," Steve nodded. It suited him. "Bye then."

"Bye," Bucky repeated, sounding a little wistful. 

Steve smiled at him once more before turning away and taking a few long steps through the snow, grinning into his scarf. His face was hot, in a pleasant way and his heart was pounding wildly. He was about to step off the host's lawn when someone grabbed his elbow and gently spun him back round, and he just caught a glimpse of Bucky looking absolutely terrified before he leant down and pressed a soft kiss to Steve's lips. After a few seconds, after he had gotten over the fact that oh my god, a really cute guy with shaggy hair and eyeliner is kissing me, he lifted his hand up and placed it gently at Bucky's neck, letting him know that, yes, this is okay, I like you too. 

When they stepped apart, Steve was glowing and Bucky was beaming like a kid on Christmas morning as he held Steve at the elbows. 

"Bye Steve," he said eventually, eyes glinting under the sky that was flooded with orange and pink. 

"Bye Bucky," Steve replied, and they turned away from each other. 

On the way home, Steve didn't stop smiling once. Maybe coming to the party hadn't been such a bad idea after all. 


End file.
